Double-throw switch.



R.' GANNA'N & (I. A. MISLAND. DOUBLE THROW SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 7, 1907.

Patented May 7, 1.912.

lll" Y 21@ practical embodiment in a double-throw snap UNITED sTATEs .PATENT oEErcE.

ROBERT CANNAN AND JOSEPH A. MISLAND, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.`

DOUBLE-THROW SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1912.

Application filed June 7, 1907. Serial No. 377,817.

To aZZ whom it may concern.'

Bc it known that we, ROBERT CANNAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the count y of Kings and State of New York, and JOSEPH A. MrsLANn. a citizen of the United States, residing at 325 Essex street, Brooklyn, county .of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Double-Throw Switches; and we do hereby de` clare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

O ur invention relates to improvements in double-throw switches, and it has had its switch particularly adapted for use in connection with a system of train lighting in which there is used a generator, a storage battery, and a current and voltage regulator.

The particular system in connection with which our switch has been designed, is the system illustrated.. and described in United States Letters Patent to Patrick Kennedy,

Ser. No. 800,114, dated September 19, 1905, but the improvements are applicable to double-throw switches generally, and particular-'ly to snap-switches.

The nature of our improvements will Vbe understood from a consideration of the following description in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the cornplete switch; Fig. 2 is a detail on an enlarged scale showing the construction and arrangement of locking dogs for the switch lever; Fig. 3 is a cross-section of the switch lever showing the o erating handle and springs. Fig'. 4 is a p an View showing the relative positions of the contact terminals and switch parts.

The switch A comprises a base plate a, of insulating material, on which are mounted the stops Z) and b', also of insulating matef rial and against which the respective ends of the switch lever strike whcnthe switch is thrown; the auxiliary pairs of contact terminals /z and h having the binding-posts z' and 2"; the pair of main contact terminals o having the binding posts p, and the support Z2 for the bent switch lever Z, the locking dogs Amy and m', and the operating handle n.. The support Zu comprises two standards r secured l to the base-plate c and provided with journals 7" for the pivot pin c, on which the 1,

vdle at a point opposite the bent switch lever Z and the operating handle n are separately pivoted. These two standards are spaced apart by a block s and the pins r4 extend through this block and the] ateral projections 715 of the standards and serve as pivots for the locking dogs m, m', which are set into slots in one of the standards r. Each locking dog is provided with a head which takes over the appropriate lug t on the switch lever, each of these lugs being provided on its upper surface with a small plate of steel t to prevent wear, t-he main portion of each projection being cast integral with the brass switch lever. The springs u and u are coiled about the pins u2 extending between the two standards r and these springs have one end resting on the base orv and the other pressing against a pin ua on the locking dogs, tending to hold those dogs in the upright positionl shown in Fig. 2. Each dog is provided with a stop a4 to prevent its rotation beyondthe upright position.

The longer arm of the switch lever Z has at its outer end an enlarged portion Z which is intended to engage the pair of main contact terminals o and which is cast hollow to save brass andl lessen the weight, and which also serves to contact with the stop b. Back of this enlarged portion and on the underside of the switch is a countersunk recess lined with insulating material, in which is set'the U-shaped Contact piece Z3 for the auxiliary contact terminals L, and this contact piece is held in'place by a plate Z4 screwed to the underside of the switch lever and suitably insulated therefrom, as shown. Above this contact piece Z3 and withinihe switch lever is formed a recess which contains the pin Z5, theaxis of this pin lying between the uptu'rned portions of the U-'shaped contact piece Z3. The coiled spring Z0 extends trem this pin to the operating handle, and is attached to the handle at a point just above the pivotal axis thereof, the relation ,of the axis of the pin Z5 tothe pointof attachment being such that they are on substantially the same Vhorizontal line when the handle 'n is in a vertical, and the long arm of the switch lever in a horizontal position. The spring v is secured to thc operating hanpoint of attachT ment ot the spring Z and equally dist-ant :trom the axis of the handle, and extends to a pin u which has the same relation to the other auxiliary contact piece n2 that; the pin loo straddles the yoke ZS, joining the sides of the .throw it to the reverse position, the handle n relation between ,p wz engages the pin that thev mechanism by which the switch anot er.

'spring Z6 under tension and at the same time be applied to other types of double throw and snap-switches.

What we claim is 1. In adouble-throw snap switch, a switch lever, sets of contact terminals in position to be electrically connected by said switch lever in vits respective circuit-closing positions, two springs connected to said switch lever on opposite sides of its fulcrum, an operating handle pivoted on the tulcrum of the lever and to which the other ends ot said springs are connected on opposite sides of its pivotal axis, lugs on said lever, locking-dogs pivot-ally supported in position to engage said lugs, and a double cam connected to said handle to turn the dogs and release the switch lever Z5 has to the piece Z3.y r1`he Contact piece o? is constructed in the same manner as the contact piece Z3, is equally distant from the pivotal center of the switch lever, and is simi= larlysupported and insulated in the short arm of the switch lever. This short arm has an extended toe Z7 adapted to contact with the stopA b. It will be understood that the switch lever andl the operating handle are inde endently movable with respect to one The double cam wis set over a squared side of the hub of the operating handle n, as shown in dotted lines in Fi 3, and is further secured to that handle by the rivet n. The lower end of this cam projection on one lockingafter the switch lever, and is provided with the toes @v2 and w3, which operate the locking dogs m and m, by engaging the pins ua an thereby turning the Ydogs on their pivots against the action of the springs u and u. The relative arrangement of these partsY is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In operation, if the switch is in the posltion shown in Fig. 1, and it is desired to described.

2. In a double-throw. snap switch, a bent switch lever, main contact terminals in position to be electrically connected by the said switch lever in one circuit-,closing po-l sition, an auxiliary circuit-closing piece supported on, but electrically insulated from, each arm of the switch lever, auxiliary circuit contacts in position to be closed by said auxiliary contact pieces, two springs connected to said bent switch lever on opposite sides of its ulcrum, an operating handle pivoted on the ulcrum of the switch lever and to which the other ends of said springs are connected on opposite sides of its pivotal axis, a double cam secured to said handle, lugs on the switch lever, and pivoted spring-actuating locking-dogs engaging said lugs and operated by said cam to release the lugs after the tension has been applied, substantially as describe t 3.1.In a double-throw snap-switch, a bent lever provided with lugs on opposite sides of its fulcrum, spring actuated locking dogs adapted to engage said lugs in respective circuit-closing po-sitions, a pivoted operating handle, spring connections between the operating handle and the switch lever, and a double cam carried by the operating handle and adapted to actuate the locking dogs to release the switch lever after the spring connections have been put under tension by the movement of said handle, substantially as described,

f1. In a double-throw snap-switch, a bent lever provided with lugs on opposite sides of its fulcrum, spring-actuated locking dogs adapted to engage said lugs in the respective circuitclosing positions, a pivoted operating handle, ing handle to the switch lever on opposite sides oi its fulcrum anda double cani carried by the operating handle and adapted to actuate the locking dogs to relieve the switch lever after'the springs have been put under tension by the movement of said handle, substantially as described.

is turned on the pin r2, thusA putting the gradually'raising the point of attachment of the spring o above the horizontal line through the center of the pin o. The parts are so arranged that when the handle has been brought to a vertical position and the switch lever is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the point of attachment ofthe spring v is substantially ona horizontal line with the center of the pin o', and at this p oint the the toe fw2 and the pin u on the dog mds as shown in Fig. 2. As the handle is moved beyond the vertical the toe u3 and turns the dog m on its pivot against the spring a and finally withdraws the dog from the projection t. At this time the spring ZG is under tension, tending to pull the long arm of the lever down and the spring 'v has passed the center and is also under tensibn, tending to pull the short arm of the lever up. That is to say, tension kis then applied to both springs 1n directions such as to create by them two separate turning moments in the same sense, on opposite sides of the ulcrum. The result is that on. the release the switch is violently thrown to a'position in `which the circuits through the main terminals 0 and the auxiliary terminals h are completed.

For the particular purpose for which this switch has been designed the main terminals o are necessary in connection with the auxiliary terminals h', but it will be obvious thrown from one positlon to the other is not at all dependent upon the use of these two sets of terminals and the invention mayv tension has been applied, substantially as 5. In a double-throw snap switelnthe bent lever Z fulcrumed in the standards r and provided with the lugs t, pivoted lockingdogs m and m engaging said lugs, the handle n pivoted on the fulcrum of the' bent lever and connected to the two arms thereof by the springs Z8 :2nd lu, and the double cam fw connected to the handle and having the toes we and w3 adapted to turn the lockingdogs to release the switch lever after tension has been applied to the springs, substantially as described.

6. In a snap switch for so controlling two electric circuits that when one circuit is closed the other is open, a base carrying cirv cuitterminals for the two/Circuits, a bell-crank switch lever fulcrumed on the base between the terminals, an actuating handle pivoted on the fulcrum of the lever, two springs connecting the two arms of the switch lever to 20 the actuating handle on opposite sides of its fulcrum, latches for restraining the switch lever, and a latch-releasing device moving with the handle to release the latches after the springs have been put under tension by 25 the movement of the handle.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures7 in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT CNNAN. JOSEPH A. MrsLAND.

Witnesses:

'PATRICK KENNEDY, AUG. 'I`READWELL,` Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents cash, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

